Region to benefit from £488,177 in additional housing support

Scottish Government intervention with Westminster secures region second highest allocation

 

SNP MSP for the South of Scotland Dr Aileen McLeod today (Tuesday) welcomed the announcement by the Scottish Government is to receive £488,177 in additional support for housing benefit to help address the worst of the impacts of the Bedroom Tax, following discussions between Scottish Government Housing Minister Margaret Burgess and UK Welfare Minister Lord Freud.

 

Dr McLeod commented:

 

“This additional funding will help the region to combat the worst effects of the Bedroom Tax, but the fact that Dumfries & Galloway has such a high award simply demonstrates that rural areas are being hammered by this unfair measure.

 

“In fact, if it wasn’t for the Scottish Government’s efforts to secure a fairer share of funding for Scotland’s remote communities there is no guarantee that Dumfries & Galloway would have received anywhere near that sum.

 

“Welcome though today’s news is, it should not distract attention away from the basic unfairness of the Bedroom Tax, which people in Scotland didn’t vote for and which is clearly having a particularly severe affect in Dumfries & Galloway.

 

“The only appropriate measure to deal with the Bedroom Tax is to get rid of it, and only the SNP has committed to doing just that, if the people of Scotland give the Scottish Government those powers by voting yes in next year’s independence referendum.”

 

Notes to Editors: further details on the announcement can be found here:

http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Bedroom-tax-help-2d9.aspx

 

doc icon 13.08.06-Region-to-benefit-from-£488000-in-additional-housing-support.doc